U.S. Monitoring Oil Tanker Incident Near Iran:
Washington says it is “actively monitoring” an incident involving the Marshall Islands flagged oil tanker M/V Talara near Iran, after the ship suddenly deviated from its course in the Gulf of Oman amid indications it was intercepted and steered toward Iranian waters.
The statement from the US Navy’s Bahrain based 5th Fleet stresses that commercial vessels are entitled to “largely unimpeded rights of navigation and commerce on the high seas,” while maritime security firms and media reports point to likely Iranian state involvement in the diversion.
Iran releases oil tanker it seized over weekend, claiming "unauthorized cargo.": Iran has released the oil tanker Talara, which it seized over the weekend, claiming it was carrying an "unauthorized cargo" of 30,000 tons of petrochemicals and was en route from the United Arab Emirates to Singapore. The Marshall Islands flagged tanker was released with all 21 crew members on board, according to a statement from Cyprus based Columbia Ship management. "The crew is safe and in good spirits. Their families have been notified, and the ship will continue its normal operations," it said.
